


My Stars Shine Darkly Over Me

by ADragonAppears



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, BOY ARE THEY WRONG, D&D Draconic, Daleks are Elves, Dragons can shift into human forms, F/F, F/M, Humans think elves are benevolent, I mean it already technically is but still, Magic, People are in physical pain, Rose and River have died already so sorry about that, The Doctor (Doctor Who) is a Dork, The Doctor (Doctor Who) is a Mess, The Master is basically courting the Doctor, The TARDIS is kinda like a pocket dimension, The dragons and the elves HATE each other and are constantly at war, They still have pointy ears though, Time Lords are dragons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-02-23 13:30:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23712283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADragonAppears/pseuds/ADragonAppears
Summary: The Doctor has had a fine time whisking humans away on adventures through enchanted forests, and they've enjoyed it as well. Sure, it's a little sad when one of her companions dies, but being a (nearly) immortal creature, you must watch lives pass you by, no matter how sad. Her life has a rhythm, a world full of adventure and possibility. New creatures to discover, friends to make, places to explore... It's quite a good life. It's one that's far from the rest of her kind. One that allows her to be herself. Well, mostly herself. Humans fear dragons, which is why she disguises herself as an elf.Except it all goes to hell when an old friend shows up on the doorstep seeking her help.She swore off contact with her kind, but maybe an adventure with her old friend couldn't hurt.
Relationships: Theta/Koschei, Thirteenth Doctor/River Song, Thirteenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, Thirteenth Doctor/The Master (Dhawan)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	My Stars Shine Darkly Over Me

**Author's Note:**

> I use D&D Draconic in this fic for the TIme Lord (dragon) language because I had to learn it in a week (that's a whole other story), plus I'm lazy and definitely not creating my own language for this. I will post translations of anything said in Draconic at the end of the chapter unless the meaning of the word(s) is explained later in the story.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the story! The first chapter of it, at least!

Such a simple thing, running. All you had to do was put one foot in front of the other and act like something was chasing you. Running was easy, running was relaxing. She could run all day. She’d been running since the beginning. Running from reality and harsh truths. Running was a hobby. However, running became a lot more stressful when there actually were creatures of unspeakable horrors chasing after you and your companions.

The Doctor was running out of breath as she ducked under low branches and jumped over large roots. She shouldn’t have answered this call. She shouldn’t have. Yet here they were, running. She had a vague idea of the kinds of creatures this territory held, but she couldn’t have been more wrong when deciding where their adventure would take them next.

Slowing down, she finally stumbled into the clearing where she and the humans had made camp the previous night. She bent over, hands on her knees, as she gasped for air, stabilizing her lungs and hearts.

Branches cracked behind her. She turned to look, finding her three human companions in a similar state as she. Yazmin and Ryan, the young humans, looked like they had just finished a sprint whereas Graham, the elder, looked worse for wear. Their faces were bloody where the branches had whipped across their faces. She stopped and brought her own hand to her face. It came away only a little bloody, definitely not as bad as the humans though.

The Doctor finally caught her breath. “Great job fam! I think we lost them in the wood back there.” She huffed and smiled while vaguely motioning to the trees from where they had come, her body too tired to do much else. She was great at running and even that had been painful.

Yaz looked up from where she was hunched over wheezing and smiled in triumph at the Doctor. Ryan patted her on the back as he stood to his full height. However, before he could reach all the way up, there was a cracking noise and Ryan fell to his knees with a yell of pain.

“Ryan!” The Doctor forgot her pain and ran over to Ryan who was curled on the ground, clutching his ankle. She sank to her knees and skidded the last few feet along the dirt to reach him. Her hand fluttered about as she hesitated, thinking about what course of action she would take. After a second or two of deciding, she attempted to push Ryan’s upper half back in order to reach his ankle, but he pushed back.

“What happened?” Graham called from across the clearing as he struggled to get up. He sounded very worried, and rightfully so. From what she gathered; Graham was Ryan’s family from marrying one of his family members. It was something like that. Maybe they weren’t married. Was it his mother or grandmother? She had taken a nasty beating right before all of that had taken place. Her mind was still fuzzy when it came to that day, and she couldn’t help but feel horrible about it.

Bringing herself back to reality, the Doctor made another attempt at helping Ryan. Again he pushed back. “Yaz, give me a little help?” The Doctor snapped. She hadn’t meant to snap, but it had been a _very_ stressful day. Yaz complied without much hesitation and helped to pry Ryan’s hands from his injured ankle. She couldn’t identify the problem while restraining someone. Multitasking was not always her greatest strength. Sometimes it was, but apparently not today. Kind of funny how that worked.

The Doctor ripped off his leather boot and rolled up his pant leg to get better access to the problem area. She cringed as she revealed the injury. Ryan’s ankle had swollen to what was probably an unhealthy size by human standards. The doctor ran her hand over it, while attempting to delicately maneuver it in order to determine the issue.

“Ryan did you fall while we were running?” She inquired.

“Yeah, but Yaz helped me up so we could keep going.”

The Doctor hummed in thought. “I think you might have broken it.” She said _might_ like she wasn’t completely sure it was broken when she had heard the crack. Then again, these humans were smarter than others she had observed. They had probably come to the same conclusion.

“We just have to get you out of the forest and back to the TARDIS where I can get you medical supplies, ok?” She looked up at him expectantly.

Ryan nodded, biting down due to the pain. The Doctor looked to Yaz who nodded at her.

“Until then… Ummm. This will have to do!” The Doctor picked up a couple sticks and set them on either sides of his leg. She hesitated. “Anyone have some spare fabric?” She looked up at her companions hopefully.

Graham looked down at his outfit and paused. He tore off the hem of his tunic and handed it to the Doctor. She smiled at him thankfully and used the torn fabric to tie the branches to Ryan’s leg. Once she was sure the fabric was wound tight enough, she tied it off and made sure the knot was secure.

They all breathed a sigh of relief as Ryan regained the ability to move his leg. The Doctor moved towards Ryan’s upper half and crouched to put his arm over her shoulder. Yaz did the same on his other side. Together, they hoisted him up and took a couple steps.

A toothed arrow raced past the Doctor’s face and embedded in the tree in front of her.

The arrowhead bit at the tree with the teeth that were attached to the end. “RUN!” she yelled at the humans.

They were only able to make it a few steps before they were knocked into the dirt.

The Doctor rolled over, aiming to get up as fast as she could, but was met with a circular mouth full of razor-sharp teeth roaring at her. She scrambled backwards until she was backed against a tree, the creature following her the entire way. She attempted to clamber to her feet before the creature lunged again, and she was successful. Trying her luck, she made a final attempt to turn and run, but before she could do so, the creature swiped its clawed hand and caught her in the cheek. She cried out in pain as the force of the blow flung her into the tree.

The world went dark.

...

She came to, standing, tied up with her back to a tree. As soon as the fog in her brain cleared, she looked around to gauge her surroundings. They were deep in the forest. Her companions were bound together across the clearing from her. It seems she had been the first to wake, although that wasn’t surprising due to her regenerative abilities. Thankfully, she could sense their consciousnesses, although they were still asleep, and released a sigh of relief. Their state was still a problem though. From the looks of it, Yaz and Graham had gotten a couple scrapes as well. Ryan looked the same. They had probably taken him pretty easily considering he couldn’t run away.

Her relief was short lived as she sensed the other creatures around her. She could fake being unconscious and attempt to glean some information, but she figured they would sense her considering they were a hunting race. She settled for glaring at the next thing to cross into her vision, which thankfully for her, was one of the creatures and not some sorry bird or squirrel.

Now that she wasn’t running or fighting, she was able to get a good look at the beings who hunted in the dark woods. They looked just like humans, except where there should’ve been a face, there was only smooth skin. It was, quite frankly, off-putting, but it allowed her to finally figure out what they were up against.

“I presume I am speaking to a hunter? If you would allow me to-“

Her speech was cut off as the creature delivered a painful backhand. Where there was once smooth skin on the creature’s head, there was now a familiar circular mouth.

“Know your place, Elf,” the creature hissed. “I am the pack second, not some lowly hunter,” it screeched.

The Doctor cringed at the unpleasant noise. “My mistake, your worshipfulness. I am not familiar with your ways of life.” She bowed her head at the last words, obviously mocking, yet not in a way they could openly call her out for.

The creature gave a final hiss before sealing it’s jaws once more. It turned and held up an open hand to the sky. A handful of seconds passed and then, all at once, a swarm of similar beings flooded the clearing. If it was unsettling to be confronted by one of their kind, it was overwhelming to be faced with a pack of them. The spoke in whispers so that you might only think you were hearing the wind if you weren’t face to face with them.

Two of them came forward and cut her away from the tree, keeping her hands tied. They pushed her forward to meet an older, meaner looking one. She assumed him to be the pack alpha considering his scars and the way the rest of the pack bowed to him. Instead of following suit, she looked him directly in the eyes. Her mistake. She felt a hand on her shoulder and then a searing pain as something sharp and rough sunk into her skin. She gasped in pain, biting back a scream. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

The clawed hands dug into the injury and pushed down, forcing her to her knees. She grunted as she hit the ground. The alpha’s hand found its way to her face. Gripping her jaw, he forced her to look up at him.

“Don’t touch me,” she growled as she pulled away from his touch.

The creature’s mouth appeared and his face, his lip curled in distaste. “An Elf doesn’t get the respect you so seek.”

“Then don’t expect me to respect you, _Ehaismnarodic,_ ” she hissed.

The alpha recoiled as if burned by her touch. The other Ehaismnarodic followed suit. After a few moments of displeased whispers, the alpha approached her once again.

“Forgive my mistake. I didn’t know we had a _Darastrix_ among us,” he hissed. She bit back a growl at the name and allowed him to continue speaking. “I apologize for the way my hunters have treated yourself and your... _humans_.” He said it in an obviously mocking tone, but he spit the word _humans_ with anger.

It’s true, she should have been more careful in this territory. The dark forest was a place no one ventured for a reason. All creatures had an understanding to avoid humans at all costs. The fact that the Doctor traveled with human companions didn’t always make for the warmest of welcomes. The only reason they were in the dark forest in the first place was because they were answering a distress call.

She had only wanted to solve the mystery of the distress spell. She wasn’t leaving here without getting the answers she wanted. She maintained an aggressive glare while choosing her next words carefully. “Myself as well as my companions would be happy to leave your territory, if you answer me this-“

The alpha tilted his head in intrigue. “What is your query?”

She grinned and the creatures all flinched back even further than they had before. Baring your teeth was a sign of aggression to the Ehaismnarodic, of that she knew.

“We only entered your territory because of a distress call that originated from around this clearing. Who sent it?”

Murmurs and hushed questions made their way around the ring of Ehaismnarodic. She turned her head to growl when she heard the name _Darastrixethe_ muttered by the pack second who had hurt her. This was quickly followed by a sharp pain in her shoulder that made her hiss.

The pack alpha’s head shot up. “It would do you better to show her some respect, Zordaak,” he hissed. The pack second flinched back at the use of his name. “After all, we wouldn’t want to bring the wrath of her clan upon our pack.”

“No you wouldn’t,” she bluffed. “My lot, they can be quite nasty.”

The alpha nodded his head as if confirming his suspicions.

“But this doesn’t excuse you from answering my question.”

The alpha considered her for a moment. “We didn’t send a distress spell. There are no magicians in this realm.”

The Doctor sighed in frustration.

“But the spell-“

“No. I have answered your question, therefore it is time for you to hold up your end and leave.” He held up his left hand where another mouth was formed. The mouth opened, but the Doctor was unable to hear any sound. Despite this, two hunters came forward from the ring, albeit somewhat tentatively, and bowed to the alpha.

“My hunters will take you and your humans to the edge of the forest, but you are on your own after that.”

The Doctor nodded in thanks, however frustrated she may have been. The alpha shot a pointed look at the pack second, who released her shoulder and severed her wrist bindings with a claw, freeing her to stand. She glared in the direction of the rude Ehaismnarodic.

A shaky finger tapped on her shoulder. The Doctor turned around to find her three companions being herded by three other hunters. Ryan was being supported on either side by Yaz and Graham. They all still had fabric gags wrapped around their faces, their eyes, wide and frantic, were darting around the clearing in panic. The Doctor attempted to give them a reassuring smile. They seemed to calm, if only a little bit.

“Time to go,” the hunter behind her remarked.

She turned and nodded. They stared walking, the pack clearing a path for them. She made sure to sweep a glare across all the Ehaismnarodic to punctuate her anger. They reached the edge of the clearing and were stopped. The two hunters leading the group turned and raised their mouthed hands in perhaps a silent goodbye or a salute. The pack alpha raised his hand in return. The hunters jostled them forwards, leading them into the dark woods.

The Doctor turned her head back to catch one last glimpse of the pack. The Zordaak, the pack second, was on his knees before the alpha. The pack was filling in the path they had made.

“Fam, whatever you do, whatever you hear, don’t look back.” She said it with little room for argument.

She turned to face forward, not daring to look back as a blood-curdling scream sounded from the clearing, through the forest. She could sense the terror and unease from her companions behind her. _Keep walking. Keep walking. Keep walking._

The shadowy trees only seemed to keep the scream and echo it as long as they kept walking. She just wanted to be out of this forest and its unsettling nature. She had been too eager to explore. There was a reason her kind didn’t dare to venture here. They told stories to hatchlings like her about the evil graveyard of a forest in the east. The wood swallowed its victims whole and spat out the bones. The only things that lived here were those who were willing to kill for survival and for sport.

They traveled in silence. The Doctor took her chance to survey her surroundings. Their adventure in the forest had been cut short and she hadn’t gotten to explore. She had always thought that the best cure for fear was knowledge. She needed more knowledge about the forest so she wouldn’t fear it. But now, within the territory her kind so feared, she couldn’t help but feel like a scared little dragonet, hiding under the blanket her mother wove for her.

...

They made it to the edge of the forest in record time. Well, what was probably record time, considering that, in the 4 hours they had been in the forest, they had managed to anger a pack of Ehaismnarodic, cause a pack execution, and get no nearer to the person who had sent out the distress call.

Finally, they passed the point where the dark fog cleared, and sunshine filtered through the trees once more. The birds were singing. It’s amazing how used you get to the sound of birds chirping. The absence of it was eerie. The absence of all the forest life was eerie. Not even flowers grew in the dark forest. That was a lie. _Some_ flowers grew in the dark forest, although they were mostly of the man-eating kind.

She paused, soaking up the sunlight. She had never cared for darkness. Darkness was where you were left alone with your thoughts. Sunlight, sunlight was warmth. It was everything that darkness wasn’t, and she loved it.

All of this was interrupted though, when one of the hunters guarding her pushed her forward, wrenching her out of her thoughts. Her knees hit a tree root, bringing her down to her stomach in the dirt. _Don’t growl. Don’t growl. Don’t growl._ She had already come off more aggressive than she had intended today. She shouldn’t be letting her temper get the best of her. She chose to remain silent as she got up.

“We have taken you as far as we shall,” one of them hissed.

“You shall go and not return,” the other added.

“We will stay to make sure you leave,” the third one stated.

She turned to face them all. The hunters seemed to be waiting for something. That’s fine. She could wait too. Her companions looked between themselves, seemingly confused at their lack of action.

Finally, the Doctor gave in. She didn’t have all day, after all. “Would you please cut my friends loose?” she said _please_ with a hint of frustration.

They conceded and used their clawed hands to cut the bindings and remove the gags. Ryan and Graham rushed forward to the Doctor. Yaz turned and glared at the Ehaismnarodic before joining them. The Doctor bowed her head in thanks to the hunters. It was finally time to go.

She turned and led her fam out into the meadow. They walked ahead of her, eager to be rid of that awful forest. She turned around one final time to glimpse the Ehaismnarodic. There was only one that was visible. It rose its hand to her and then melted into the shadows of the forest. Glad that was done for.

She turned and ran to catch up with her fam.

...

It had taken them about two hours to trek back through the meadow and reach the sunlit forest where the TARDIS had brought them. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t bring them any closer. The haze of the dark forest created a cloud in this area that wouldn’t allow natural magic. Dark magic ruled, and the TARDIS wouldn’t stand for it. Now, they were looking for the small opening that would lead to the Doctor’s hidden world.

“Just keep looking fam!” The Doctor shouted as she climbed on top of a small boulder.

“We’re trying!” Ryan yelled back.

“I know we got spit out in this general area.” The Doctor scratched her head. “Problem is, all these boulders look the same.”

“Didn’t we climb over a fallen tree?” Yaz called out as she attempted to scale a giant nurse log.

“Yes Yaz! You’re absolutely right!” The Doctor ran towards her, clearing the tree in a single bound and landing on the other side with poise. There, on the other side of the giant tree, was a cluster of boulders.

“AH-HAH!” The Doctor cheered.

Within the cluster of boulders was a small cave opening. Above the dark opening was a single, deep blue sapphire, reminiscent of something within herself. Those who didn’t know the meaning of the gem often found themselves harboring a thought of something that made them leave the cave in peace. It was a way of spurring unwanted visitors without doing anything too harsh. Yet, it ended up attracting every manner of creature who needed help, hence the distress beacon from the dark forest.

She sighed in relief and turned around. Yaz and Ryan had made it over the log, but Graham was struggling to make it over completely. She rushed forward to finish helping him scale the log. Sometimes she forgot that elder humans couldn’t do as much as the younger ones. Probably not a great thing considering she had been travelling with them for about 1600 years.

She finished helping Graham down and then turned to face the cave before them. “C’mon fam, let’s go,” she said with excitement. No matter how many times she did it, no matter the fact that she had called this place a refuge for 2000 years, it always felt like coming home.

She had first discovered this place when she was 15. She had named it TARDIS after the legends of old. In the dragon mythos, the first ones lived in pockets outside of space and time called TARDIS. Only later had she found out that it was actually one of the magical places from legend.

The dimension evolved over time as she did. Throughout her different stages of life, the TARDIS had taken several forms including a forest, a cave, a desert, and so much more. These days it took the form of a cave behind a waterfall.

She ran towards the dark opening, turning sideways at the last moment in order to fit through the crevice. Not a second later, she came through into a beautiful forest glen occupied by a bright, crystal blue lake. A waterfall roared in the background, crashing down from an unseen river. To put it simply, the place was magical. You couldn’t look at it without thinking that magic was involved in its making. It was just too perfect. Well… Perfect after the Doctor had made some renovations.

She beamed as she started running towards the waterfall. Her companions were close behind. Although they were a bit slower as Graham and Yaz were still supporting Ryan. _Right! Ryan._ She came to a screeching halt and ran back to help support him. Her bad. She slipped Ryan’s arm from Graham’s shoulder and placed it on hers. She and Yaz helped him hobble forwards. Thankfully, it was a pretty smooth walk. There weren’t any hidden ditches where you could twist your ankle. The TARDIS made sure of that.

They reached the waterfall with relative ease. Yaz’s feet only got tangled with Ryan’s once. Scaling the wet rocks to the cave would have been hard, but the TARDIS adapted to their predicament. Instead of slippery boulders, there was a dry, dusty ramp that made walking easy. It was easy to reach the large cave opening.

...

Yaz finished hobbling inside while supporting Ryan before flopping down on a cushion and catching her breath. She was fine with carrying people. She had done it back in the village when she was training to be a guard. However, carrying people for an extended period of time eventually took a toll on your overall endurance. Meanwhile, the Doctor took it upon herself to find Ryan a place to lie. She then promptly ran off, a ceramic bowl in hand, to go find some of the water within the cave’s pools. Yaz leaned back and closed her eyes.

It was quite impressive, really. Although the Doctor had never fully explained this place to them, it had been made clear over multiple adventures that the water from within the cave possessed healing properties. Yaz would never tire of the whimsy that traveling with the Doctor had put on life. Of course, it did have its dangers. She had seen creatures die in front of her and she had come close to joining them, but she, along with Graham and Ryan had always pulled through (though not completely unscathed).

There was the sound of glass shattering accompanied by a sharp intake. Yaz’s eyes shot open. Graham was already headed towards the commotion and Yaz was not far behind. She put on a burst of speed and beat Graham through the cave tunnel opening. Immediately she could tell something was wrong.

The Doctor was standing rigid and silent. The only noise came from Graham’s footsteps entering the cavern. The air crackled with electricity that made Yaz want to peel her skin off. From the looks of Graham’s discomfort, he was thinking something similar. The cavern smelled of fear, or perhaps anger, possibly even disgust. It was hard to tell over the smell of the lightning searing everything in the cavern. It made no sound, and perhaps, that was what made it scarier. It was a silent pain that permeated all living things.

There, lounging on the shore of the pool, was a man with horns and a tail.

**Author's Note:**

> Ehaismnarodic - literal translation is "face-mouths" but the creatures are meant to be inspired by a Lovecraftian horror and the leviathans from Supernatural  
> Darastrix - Dragon
> 
> Thank you to my wonderful Beta! Love ya Brie!
> 
> Comments and Kudos are always appreciated!


End file.
